Washington D.C., Sep 29, 2004 / 22:00 pm
A pro-abortion organization, claiming to be Catholic, has filed a complaint with the IRS against the pro-life Culture of Life Foundation.
The complaint, filed by Catholics for a Free Choice, claims that the Culture of Life Foundation violates federal law when it publicly supports Catholic Church teaching on life issues and when it says that abortion is the number one issue facing Catholics in the voting booth.
If found guilty, the Culture of Life Foundation could have its tax-exempt status revoked.
"Catholics for a Free Choice seeks nothing less than to silence public debate,” said Austin Ruse, president of the Culture of Life Foundation in a written statement.
“In one fell swoop, using the Internal Revenue Service, Catholics for a Free Choice is attempting to violate our First Amendment rights to free speech and religious practice,” he said. "We will not be deterred by what is clearly the use of the federal government for the purposes of harassment.”
Calling Catholics for a Free Choice, a “rollicking band of wealthy anti-Catholic pro-abortion bigots," Ruse said it was founded many years ago “to undermine and silence the teaching of the Catholic Church on life issues.”
The U.S. bishops have denounced Catholics for a Free Choice numerous times for falsely using “Catholic” in their title, Ruse pointed out.